| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse comprises two paratactic clauses presenting cause and effect. The initial participles moshel maqshiv {מֹשֵׁל מַקְשִׁיב | mō-šēl məq-šîv} ‘ruler who listens’ form a relative description of habitual action. The prepositional phrase al devar-sheqer {עַל־דְּבַר־שָׁקֶר | ʿal də-var-šā-qer} ‘to a word-of-falsehood’ marks the focus of attention via a construct chain. The second clause uses the universal quantifier kol {כָּל | kol} ‘all’ with the construct meshartav {מְשָׁרְתָיו | mə-šā-rə-tāw} ‘his servants’ and the appositional noun resha’im {רְשָׁעִים | re-šā-ʿîm} ‘wicked ones’ to deliver a sweeping moral verdict. The absence of a conjunction between clauses yields a causal inference: the leader’s disposition shapes the character of subordinates. English translation retains the two-part structure and the rhetorical contrast of the Hebrew. |